Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2023 i Reader's Digest

THERE'S ONE NEW YEAR'S resolution I've found easier to stick to than others. Like nearly every-one else, I've promised myself to eat healthier and exercise more. Other resolutions, such as “be happier,” are an ongoing process and not like flipping a switch. That one takes time. Here's my favorite resolution: Read more books. I've found that this checks all the boxes of a good resolution: It's free, it makes you feel good and you can do it without much effort. Step one is finding time to read. I try to read every morning at breakfast and at night before bed. That means turning off Netflix instead of bingewatching one more episode of a TV show and using that extra 20 minutes to read before I wake up on the couch…

The Wedding Dress Exchange The wedding dress Gwendolyn Stulgis found was “champagne in color. It had long sleeves, sparkly lace all over it… which I absolutely loved,” she told NPR. After her wedding, rather than stick the gown in a closet, she offered it up for free on Facebook so some other bride-to-be without the means could enjoy it as well. Seventy women responded. Inspired by Stulgis's largesse, other women offered to donate their wedding dresses too, prompting Stulgis to create the Facebook group Shared Dream Dresses. Since June, over 200 gowns have been exchanged. One donor, Diane Bowman, said, “I hope that this dress gets passed from bride to bride to bride, and it just gets worn out and is in tatters at the end of its life because…

I'm 45 years old and I have never had a cavity. Until recently I relied on regular floss and dental picks, but I decided to try a water flosser to see how it would compare. I started with the lowest pressure setting and used the flosser every day fora few weeks, playing around with different settings. I even tried it after using my regular dental picks to see if it dislodged anything beyond what I'd already removed—and in a few cases, it did. I liked the clean feeling I felt afterward. I still floss, but for anyone who is not a fan of traditional flossing, wears braces or has had dental work that makes flossing difficult, a good water flosser might be their new best friend.…

FROM THE CUT Not to brag, but I'm pretty good at sticking with things even when they get hard. Bad relationships, toxic workplaces, demanding sports— I've hung on for months and even years longer than I should have, convinced the situation would improve if I refused to give up. After all, isn't every success story littered with setbacks, a battle of stamina versus everyone's ambivalence? Didn't Beyoncé lose Star Search, and didn't Oprah get fired from her first TV job? Quitting is a sign you lack resilience and fortitude, or so I was raised to believe. Obviously, this is not true. Looking back on all the things I eventually quit, my only regret is I didn't do it sooner. I've wasted immeasurable time and energy dragging my heels, determined that…

Watch Your Step There you are, walking along the avenue in Dim Laoghaire, Ireland, when suddenly you stop in your tracks. An icy chasm appears out of nowhere—one that, had you stepped into it, would have sent you plummeting to a sure death! OK, well, not really. While life is in 3D, most sidewalk surfaces—without the occasional litter—appear 2D. Ger-man street artist Edgar Muller gave strollers a deep new perspective when he used a multicolored palette of paint to bring this Irish thoroughfare to chilling life during a festival celebrating world cultures.…

LIKE MOST PEOPLE, I had a lot of time on my hands these past few years, and I spent most of it on my phone. This has made my brain weak, like a puddle of slime. I've never had a very good memory, but by summer of 2021, I saw the little memory that I did have evaporate unceremoniously while Googling “ben afleCk brther bad 1.” I grew frustrated. I couldn't remember the name of Joan Holloway's military husband from Mad Men without looking it up, or the name of the guy I went to college with who would come into my dorm regularly to talk about how much he worked out, or even the boiling time for a soft-boiled egg. None of this was especially useful or life-changing information,…

I was in the nail salon when a woman in her 40s walked in and smiled at me. I couldn't place her, but she did look familiar. I'm active socially—I thought maybe I knew her from one of the groups I've joined. It was eating at me, so I caught her eye and said, “I think I know you. Maybe from an organization we both belong to?” Smiling, she leaned over and whispered, “I'm the mayor.” —MARGARET WEBSTER Fairhope, AL At dinner with my young grandkids, we decided they were old enough to try a spicy jalapeno pepper. They each tentatively picked up a jalapeno, stared apprehensively at it, then took a nibble. A second later they were squealing as their mouths caught fire. After dousing the burn with his…

“Do not leave your mobiles, purses, wallets and handbags unattendedothers may think it is an answer to their prayers.” “Adultery is a sin. You can't have your Kate and Edith too.” “There is only one priest available for confessions today. Make your confession direct and to the point, and confess only your sins and offenses. No need to explain why you did it.” (In a church parking lot) “Trespassers will be baptized. Frequent trespassers will be sent away on mission.” —BOREDPANDA.COM…

IF YOU HAVEN'T given much thought lately to smallpox, polio or diphtheria, that's because these oncedangerous diseases either have been eradicated or are now well controlled, thanks to the success of earlier vaccination programs. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that currently fewer than a quarter of American adults have received all age-appropriate vaccines. While some vaccines are given in childhood and confer protection for life, others must be repeated into adulthood. The virus that causes measles, for instance, “is a very stable virus, it doesn't change—basically, the virus today is the same as it was in 1935,” explains William Schaffner, MD, the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. That means a childhood measles vaccine provides lifelong protection. Flu and COVID viruses, on…

The First Dance I was young, with a tedious job and long commute. Life was a snooze. What happened to my dreams? Driving one night, I heard an ad for a Chicago Bulls cheerleading tryout. I don't know what pushed me, but days later I was in a packed room, wearing a leotard, tights and a number. I knew little of cheerleading or basketball. As we danced, judges weaved among us, clipboards in hand. I survived cut after cut. At the very end, my number was called. My heart sank— I'd lost at the buzzer. Sixteen girls joined me in the next room. Then, a judge. We were puzzled. “Look around,” she said. “You are the new 1985-1986 Chicago Bulls cheerleaders.” Being a “Luvahull” was an honor and a privilege,…

Windfall Anna Sletvold was committed to an asylum in 1907. She never got out, and her story might not have either if her great-granddaughter, former Climatewire reporter Erika Bolstad, hadn't inherited her North Dakota home-stead. Dig into the ground and learn the land is rich in oil. Dig into the past and learn that the circumstances of Sletvold's commission aren't so clear. Bolstad weaves a twosided thread through the pages: an exploration of a sometimes nefarious “boom and bust” oil industryand a long-buried family history—a story that's been in her blood for generations. —Michael Lee Simpson Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge From the American Library Association In 2021, the American Library Association recorded attempts to ban more than 1,500 books, including classics like John Steinbeck's…

Fact or Fiction? MEDIUM Determine whether each statement is fact or fiction. To reveal the solution to the bonus question at the bottom, write the letters indicated by your responses in the corresponding numbered blanks. Turn the page upside down for the answers. 1. By law, Mardi Gras float riders must wear masks. FACT: N FICTION: S 2. The video game console Nintendo 64 was the first product Nintendo sold. FACT: A FICTION:O 3. Looking at a photo of a loved one can relieve pain. FACT: R FICTION: K 4. Hawaiians were the first to offer pineapple a a pizza topping. FACT: S FICTION: D 5. There are hundreds of thousands of stars in our galaxy. FACT: F FICTION: S 6. About 17 million Americans skip out on work the…

IF CHRISTMAS, THANKSGIVING and the Fourth of July are our nation's biggest official holidays, certainly Super Bowl Sunday is our biggest unofficial holiday. Like those other days, it's a time for friends and family to gather for food, chatter and arguments. But mostly camaraderie. Some people living on the margins of society miss that special connection. Meir Kalmanson thought they, too, should get to celebrate the big day. So, on a cold February Sunday in 2017, as he headed to a Super Bowl party being held at a New York City club a friend owned, he invited six homeless men he met on the streets to climb into an Uber and join him. The men, as might be expected, were a tad leery. But Kalmanson, now 33, has an earnestness…

An online recipe for lemon squares caused quite a stir in the comments section: One reader said, “I didn't have lemons on hand, but cherries are in season, and I had an extra lime. Turns out cherry lime bars are very good.” Another protested, “That completely changes the recipe!” And a third responded, “I didn't have any lemons, but substituted the canned pinto beans on my shelf. Tabasco for the sugar, and flour tortilla for the short-bread. As a lemon square, it was awful. But I made a pretty decent burrito.” COOKING.NYTIMES.COM…

1 HOLIDAY A Perennial Rose Bouquet When buying roses this Valentine's Day, make it a baker's dozen and keep one bloom for yourself. Flowers of the same type that are cut at the same time and kept in similar environments mature similarly. So when your flower begins to wilt, you'll know it's time to buy your beloved a new bouquet. Neitheryour gesture of love nor the thought behind it should die after Feb. 14. 2 TECH Turn Your iPhone into an Image Encyclopedia What's that tree with the funky leaves? Take a photo and goto images.google.com, tap the “Aa” icon in the search bar and select “Request Desktop Website.” Now you can upload photos from your camera roll that you've snapped in the wild and do a reverse Google Image search on your…

1 ABOUT 112 MILLION people tuned in to see the Rams top the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI last February, making it the mostwatched sporting event of the year. It was also the most wagered on. Gamblers across the country bet almost $8 billion—though not all legally—that month, largely on gambling websites and sports-book apps such as Fan-Duel and DraftKings. 2 THESE RELATIVELY new platforms are also newly legal in a growing number of places. Now, 26 states (plus D.C.) have legalized online sports betting, including Tennessee, where there isn't a single casino. 3 CASINO GAMBLING remains legal statewide only in Louisiana and Nevada, but web versions of blackjack, roulette, slots and more operate in a handful of states: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. You'll find…

Most of us look forward to the weekend as a time to relax, connect with friends and family, and tackle items from a to-do list that gets neglected during the workweek. But as the weekend comes to an end, many of us are missing out on Sunday Funday and instead experiencing a looming sense of anxiety and even dread about the upcoming week. Experts have dubbed this existential worry the “Sunday scaries.” Polls say 75% to 80% of people experience these Sunday scaries, says Amanda Stemen, a licensed therapist and owner of Fundamental Growth, a therapy practice in Los Angeles. “The Sunday scaries is an over-whelming feeling of dread and anxiety about going to work or school the next day,” says Renee Goff, a licensed clinical psychologist and the owner…

DRINKING COFFEE CAN LEAD YOU TO OVERSPEND If you head out to do some shopping this weekend, be careful what you choose to sip on. As an experiment, scientists gave away beverages outside stores in France and Spain. They offered regular coffee to 150 shoppers and decaf coffee or water to another 150. On average, the shoppers who drank caffeine spent 50% more money. While they bought a comparable number of utilitarian products (utensils, say), they splurged more on fun items, such as scented candles. The reason, as researchers explained, could be that caffeine often creates a state of “energetic arousal” that enhances the appeal of nonessential goods—something to keep in mind if exceeding your budget causes you stress. How to Prevent Kidney Stones If you've had a kidney stone,…

FROM THE BOOK THE THIRD ACT: REINVENTING YOUR NEXT CHAPTER JOHN KERR AS A BOY, John Kerr wanted to be a fireman or a park ranger. Looking back on that childhood fantasy, he says, “I think it was the hat.” Instead, he spent four decades at WGBH in Boston, one of public broadcasting's flagship stations. He retired in 2005 at the age of 65 without any particular postcareer goal in mind. After several idle weeks, he decided to drive his camper to visit family in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. En route, he casually stopped at the Yellowstone Park Foundation, which raises funds for Yellowstone, America's first national park. As it happens, the foundation was hiring people to educate park guests on wolves. Kerr signed on. Later, at the urging of his…

Valentine's Day wasn't always about flowers and candy. During the Victorian era, millions of people in the United States and England sent commercially made “vinegar valentines” to unwanted admirers, people who put on airs, and even unloved workers in specific professions, from sailors to surgeons. By the mid-19th century, half the valentines sold were vinegar valentines, such as this one from 1875: You're as vulgar a cad as I'd wish to meet, And yet you're devoured by pride and conceit, But I fancy before very long you'll find out, That everyone thinks you an ignorant lout.…

If you always worry about what's ahead, you always pass up today. So you know what I stick to? I stick to joy. Just joy. —Russell Wilson, FOOTBALL PLAYER, IN THE NEW YORK TIMES If you're not having fun, what's the point, really? —Ina Garten, FOOD PERSONALITY, ON 60 MINUTES It's the job of scientists to explore black holes in the universe, but the job of a poet is to explore black holes in the psyche. —Sandra Cisneros, POET, IN LITERARY HUB I'm the worst cook. But I'm a really good host. —Priyanka Chopra Jonas, ACTOR, ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA Freedom is not the ability to do what you want. It means the opportunity to soar as high as you possibly can. It means people are not going to judge…

1. robust adj. (roh,-‘bust) A swollen B strong C fractured 2. prognosis n. (prahg-‘no-sis) A course of treatment B yearly checkup C likelihood of recovery 3. salubrious adj. (suh-‘loo-bree-uhss) A high in fat b promoting well-being C depressed 4. inoculate v. (ih-‘nah-kyuh-layt) A disinfect B operate on C give a vaccine 5. chronic adj. ('krah-nik) A ongoing B fatal C mild 6. pyrexia n. (py-‘rek-see-uh) A numbness B malnutrition C fever 7. quiescent adj. (kwy-‘eh-sent) A nauseated B causing no symptoms C prone to fainting 8. atrium n. ('ay-tree-um) A heart chamber B brain stem C windpipe 9. pallor n. ('pal-er) A paleness B wheeled cot C bedside manner 10. alleviate v. (uh-‘lee-vee-ayt) A apply pressure B make less severe C lift above the heart 11. epidermis n. (eh-puh-‘der-mis) A allergy shot B disease outbreak C top skin layer 12. benign adj. (bih-‘nine) A sudden B harmless C ever the counter 13. convalesce v. (kahn-vuh-‘less) A heal gradually B shake violently C become drowsy 14. analgesic n. (an-el-‘jee-zik) A decongestant B…

You've likely heard of the placebo effect, in which a “fake” medication makes patients feel better simply because they believe it's real and expect it will help. But did you know that the term placebo (rooted in the Latin placebo, meaning “I shall please”) has a less famous opposite? A nocebo (from the Latin nocebo, “I will harm”) is also an inert treatment, but it makes patients feel worse because they're anticipating a negative result. Word Power ANSWERS 1. robust (B) strong Becca may not look robust, but she can bench-press 200 pounds. 2. prognosis (C) likelihood of recovery “With early diagnosis, the prognosis is excellent,” Dr. Patel said. 3. salubrious (B) promoting well-being I've resolved to adopt more salubrious habits in the new year. 4. inoculate (C) give a vaccine Per city law,…

WHERE, OH WHERE? (page 46) A. White Sands National Park, New Mexico. BRAIN GAMES (pages 107-108) Quick Crossword ACROSS 2. GOSSIP 5. CHOCOLATE 8. TAKEOUT 9. MEAT DOWN 1. DESSERT 3. SHOPPING 4. ALCOHOL 5. COFFEE 6. TWITTER 7. SODA Under Construction ravines / anniversaries; leash / seashell; novice / inconvenience Number Maze The correct sequence of moves: down 2, right 5, left 1, down 2, left 2, up 3, down 4, right 3. An Equal Hand C. In each hand, the number value of the card on the right is the sum of the values of the other two cards, plus one. For example, in the top-left hand, 3 (left card) + 1 (middle card) = 4; then 4+1=5 (right card). Gemstone 72 SPECIAL OFFER The Best of Reader's…